How dare you think?

A tale of riches to rags by the author of The Secret Garden, one of my two all time favourite children’s books – recommended reading for disenchanted adults. Sara is a stalwart and fearless girl who confronts adult cruelty with the straightforwardness of Jane Eyre. Here, newly impoverished, she is upraided for daring to think.

“I was thinking,” she answered.

“Beg my pardon immediately,” said Miss Minchin.

Sara hesitated a second before she replied.

“I will beg your pardon for laughing, if it was rude,” she said then, “but I won’t beg your pardon for thinking.”

“What were you thinking?” demanded Miss Minchin. “How dare you think? What were you thinking?” …

“I was thinking,” she answered grandly and politely, “that you did not know what you were doing.”